Support request: Tribute recording for Professor Janusz Olejniczak

My name is Masako Awaji, a pianist based in the Netherlands. I had the great privilege of studying Chopin under the guidance of the late Professor Janusz Olejniczak, whose passing in October 2024 deeply moved me.

On 20 October 2025, the anniversary of his death, I will make a special tribute recording in his memory. This project has been made possible through a unique collaboration with the Dordrechts Museum in the Netherlands, which holds a portrait of Chopin painted by Ary Scheffer. For the first time in its history, the museum has granted permission for a recording to be made there, in recognition of this commemorative project.

The recording will feature works that Professor Olejniczak often performed, played on an authentic Pleyel piano from 1848, the same type of instrument Chopin himself favored. To realize this project, I have launched a crowdfunding campaign, supported in part by the Dutch Cultural Fund.

Professor Olejniczak’s teaching was a treasure in my life, and through him I also experienced the generosity of many Polish people, for which I remain profoundly grateful. With this recording, my hope is to create not only a tribute to my teacher, but also a meaningful cultural bridge between Poland and the Netherlands.

However, as a Japanese artist with only a few personal contacts in Poland, it is very difficult for me to reach a wider Polish audience on my own. This is why I kindly ask for your support in sharing news of this project with your readers and community.

Here is the crowdfunding page with further details:
https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/20030-chopin-herdenkingsopname-doneer-nu-1

Your help in bringing this tribute to a wider Polish audience would mean a great deal to me, and I believe it would honor Professor Olejniczak’s memory in the way he truly deserves.

With warm regards and sincere thanks,
Masako Awaji